


Saving grace

by orphan_account



Category: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Genre: Child Abuse, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other, Parent/Child Incest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-04 20:58:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10289624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Lock is only 7. His dad started to hit him when he was a baby, but this is different. This is worse.He only stays because his father says that he loves him, is it true? Do all dads do this? Lock doesn't know. He's not allowed to ask very many questions.Barrels family is the kind with open arms and a very accepting home. They welcome in the broken and help them heal.In which lock finds out what love really in.-my first work, trigger warning for rape and abuse. Do not read if you are not comfortable with these topics and themes.-





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fucked up story. I myself have never gone through these experiences but for some reason I felt the need to write this.

Lock was only 7 when it started. When his dad called him into the biggest bedroom of their beaten up house. He only had his underwear on and a camera in his fat fingers. He told lock that he was going to help around the house, make some good money. He told lock that all fathers did this, that it was out of love and respect.   
Lock went along with it all. He striped down like his dad said. He covered himself the best he could with his tiny hands, embarrassed from his dad seeing him like that. His dad just put the camera down and pointed it to he bed, he hooked it all up to the computer and opened some site that lock didn't bother to look at. He just stood idle, shifting on his feet.   
Once all was set up, his dad asked the camera what they wanted to see. Lock was confused, he finally managed to figure out that the camera was showing the room and that many more people other than his dad were seeing him like this. He only shifted more, struggling to cover himself and to stop shaking from the cold.   
His dad tossed him a pair of long socks and a pair of little girls underwear. Lock was about to ask what they were for but his dad stopped him. "Put them on, don't talk unless I say you can. You're such a good boy," lock walked well out of the cameras lens range before he slipped the cloth on. The underwear felt to tight in the front, the socks went up past his knees and he felt so weird just standing there. "Come here, baby," his dad said. Lock did as told, not daring to ask what was about to happen.   
His dad had him bend over the bed, his butt showing in the camera. "Such a good boy." He heard his dad mutter. Lock felt hands grab his thighs and pull them apart until he was bent over the bed with his legs supporting him like a triangle. He heard a bottle click open, it sounded like the fancy soap bottles that his dad bought whenever they made enough money. Lock could feel his dad standing behind him, something was moving, but he didn't know what. He risked a glance over his shoulder but his dad just shoved his head down. "Stay still baby boy." His dad sounded different.   
His dad moved him into the bed properly at one point. He had him on his hands and knees, the bed sank until the weight of a severely underweight 7 year old and a man in his mid 30's. He pulled locks underwear down and lock let out a noise of protest. "I told you not to speak until I say you can. You have to learn now." Lock tried to reach behind himself to pull his underwear back up but his dad smacked his hands away harshly.  
Lock started crying by the fifth time his dad smacked his butt, the sound echoed across the room. Lock felt horrible. He wanted to curl into a ball and hide away forever. His dad only hit him once more before he clicked open the mystery bottle again. Lock saw on the computer screen that his butt was bright red, and his dad was pulling down his own underwear, rubbing something weird and slick on his privates. Lock had seen him do that before, but his dad shut the door and told him to knock before he ever came in again. But now it was different. Now his dad was holding him still, forcing him not to move.   
Lock looked away from the screen for only one moment before a splitting pain seared through his body. "Hush now, I'm letting you have this, it's only your first time. Next time you'd better be quiet." He couldn't even hear his dad, all he court hear was his own screaming, messy sobs ripped through his throat and tears spilled down his cheeks.   
When his dad decided to move again, lock almost screamed once more. His dad just clamped a hand onto his mouth and jerked his head so that he was looking at the camera again. The computer screen showed his pale face, his cheeks blotchy and his tear tracks shining in the light. He watched his dad move in and out, every movement felt like he was being split in two.   
When his dad sped up to the point where he was slamming in and out, lock felt him shudder to a stop, something warm spilled inside of him, making him feel even more dirty. His dad slowly pulled out, lock ducked his head into his hands, fresh tears of humiliation taking over him when he felt something drip out of him.   
His dad wasn't done with him even then. He yanked lock off of the bed and pushed him to his knees. Lock sobbed again, his body protested every movement, his rear burned like no other and he just wanted to sleep now. His dad touched himself like he did before, his hand moving slowly back and forth. Lock closed his eyes and willed himself to pass out. He almost screamed when something touched his lips. He screwed his eyes shut and refused to let this foreign object in. His little hands reached up to cover his mouth. "Open. Right now." His dad demanded. Lock didn't like this side of his dad. He did as he was told, body shaking in pure fear now.   
He opened his eyes when the something passed his lips. He almost vomited when he saw that it was his dad's thing again. He held still completely, scared of moving even the slightest bit in case his dad hurt him again. He fisted his hand into locks hair, yanking his son closer until locks nose was pressed against curly hair that he didn't have down there. Lock panicked and bit down, his dad yelled at the top of his lungs, ripping locks head back. He shoved lock over, kicking him harshly in the ribs. "Never EVER, do that again you little shit!" Lock was crying again. He hurt all over and his dad didn't seem to care. He just pulled lock up again, repeating the same process of slowly fucking his mouth and yanking hair so that his runny nose pressed against him.   
He moved in and out fast, just like on the bed. Lock could feel his throat closing in on itself, his dad didn't seem to care anymore. Lock tasted something gross and salty on his tongue. He refused to swallow, almost gagging as more and more of it spilled into his mouth. His dad pulled out and couldn't let lock open his mouth until he swallowed.   
Lock went to bed with tears in his eyes. He didn't have the energy nor motivation to change into his night cloths, opting to sleep in the long socks and girly underwear. 

-


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two

This carried on for years. Lock wasn't allowed to go to school. He wasn't allowed outside with the other little boys his age, no one even knew about him.   
One day, a new neighbor called the police when he saw a boy getting beat by his father. The man didn't know it at the time, but he saved locks life.   
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to break the plate dad!" Lock wailed. His father wasn't having any of it. He was in a drunken rage, lock knew he wouldn't be able to plead his way out of this. "You worthless little fucker! I let you into my home! I give you food and I give you love! And this is how you repay me?!" He shoved lock against the wall. His thin frame hit the rough wood with a crunch. He felt blood drip down his face, his nose had to be broken.   
A strange man in a blue looking suit burst through he door, he aimed a gun and locks dad, shouting something that lock couldn't quite hear. He felt hands gently pull him up from the ground, but every thing looked fuzzy, he almost wanted to reach out and see if everything was really as soft as it looked, but his world was overtaken with blackness before he had much of a chance.   
When he woke, he wasn't in his dad's room. He want even at his house, he was in some weird new place that was full of bright lights and everything was white. He tried to move but he felt as if he was made of lead, his arm didn't even lift halfway off do the bed before he noticed the little tubes and wires on him. Each one led to something different. When he looked at his chest, it was the same way.   
He waited awhile, taking in his new surrounding. He found out that everything in the room was either white, blue, or shiny grey. At some point, a nice looking lady came in to feed him. She sat by him until he finished the food. Everything felt to rich for his body. He wasn't even half way though before he had to cover his mouth and will away the urge to puke.


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three

It was another few weeks in the weird white room before someone else other than the nice lady came in. The next person was a bottom heavy looking guy in a suit that was to big. He introduced himself as the mayor, saying that he'd arrest the sad excuse of a father that lock had. He tried to protest but his throat felt raw and burned when he breathed.   
Lock was stuck in that room for what felt like forever every single day. The only visitors he'd ever had were the mayor and the nurse. His life slowly turned into one very silent, boring routine. Wake up, eat breakfast, watch the television, eat lunch, take his meds, nap, eat dinner, then sleep and repeat.   
The nurse who always brought in his breakfast happily informed him that he had a visitor. Locks head nodded and he refused to watch the door to seem to eager. There was a tallish man. He was slightly pudgy, his hair was balding in the back and his button down was wrinkled. A small boy walked next to him. "This is Ben and his father Louis. They want to take you in for awhile." The nurse explained with a Joyful grin. Lock eyed the man. The more he looked, the more he noticed. He looked like he was trying to set off a good first impression. Like he wanted to seem professional but it was so far out of his personality that it was unattainable. The boy was different though. He was pale like lock, his hair was dyed a faded seaweed green and his hoodie had a printed on rib cage.   
Locks throat was still to sore and raw for him to talk, so he just listened. Ben told lock that he went by barrel, and that he always wanted a brother. Louis told a story about how he saved a bird with a broken wing and how the bird brought them something everyday. Lock listened to every story with confusion, so barrels dad didn't do the things that his dad did? Did he not love him enough? Was barrel so bad that his dad refused to claim him? Lock made a motion to the nurse for a note pad and pen. She took a pencil from her pocket and a notebook from beside her clipboard.   
On the paper, lock wrote, 'Don't you ever have sex with barrel?' Louis's eyes widened and he spluttered. Barrel shook his head. The nurse covered her mouth. "I'd never do that to my son! I love him with all of my heart!" Louis was as red as locks hair now. 'But if you love him aren't you supposed to?' Beside the words this time there was a frowny face. Barrels eyes saddened. "Your dad did, didn't he?" He asked quietly. Lock nodded. Barrel reached a testing hand out to hold locks. The size difference was horrifying. Barrels fingers were thick and full of life, locks were pure bone and a sickly yellow tint.   
"Dads aren't supposed to do that. They're supposed to hug you and hold your hand if you're scared," barrel tried. Lock shook his head. He wrote again. 'No. My dad loved me. When I was 7 he had sex with me for the first time. He did it out of love. He let people watch so the whole world could see how much he loved me.' Louis shook his head and placed a hand on his sons shoulder. "Fathers aren't supposed to hurt their kids, lock. They're supposed to be their best friend, I would never do that to you or my son." Lock still couldn't believe them. 'So you would never love me or your son?' Locks hand writing was steadily worsening. His whole world was unraveling and he felt sick.   
Their conversation ended with lock in tears, the realization that his father did everything a father shouldn't do set in. He suffered for 4 years. He was already 11 and just now finding out that dads aren't supposed to fuck their sons until they're crying and bleeding. That dads weren't supposed to beat you black and blue. Barrel had placed a comforting hand on locks shoulder, his father had left to go sign the papers to have lock out the next day.   
Barrel stayed with him for lunch and dinner, just sitting at him bedside and trying to make jokes. "This ones real good," he said suddenly. Locks fingers twitched at the time of his voice. It sounded to much like his dad. "Why couldn't Sally swing?" He asked. Lock shrugged and fiddled with his fingers. "She didn't have any arms," barrel said with a twinkle in his eyes. Lock didn't understand the joke. "Knock knock," lock wrote on his pad 'who's there?' And barrel whispered, "not Sally." And lock laughed. It burned his throat but oh god it felt so good to laugh after so long. Barrel smiled, his eyes crinkling and his crooked teeth showing.   
Barrel was still there when the nurse came in to give him his sleeping meds. "Your dad is in the waiting room, you can go when you're ready," the nurse said gently to barrel. He nodded and grabbed locks hand. Even when lock gave him a confused look, barrel just shrugged and held on. He smoothed locks hair out from in front of his eyes and hummed a tune. Lock couldn't tell what it was but there was something about the whole situation that made him fall asleep almost instantly.


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four

Lock walked out of the hospital in some of barrels cloths. They hung off of him horribly, being at the hospital for 4 weeks had only gained him 5 pounds at most, his ribs still showed and his skin was still almost translucent.   
Barrel was holding his hand again. He was really just trying to steady lock but then the smaller boy had decided to grab his hand. Barrel cringed internally at the icy cold of locks fingers. It was the middle of summer, lock was wearing a massive black hoodie, and he was still so cold.   
The car ride was mostly silent. Lock still couldn't talk and barrel didn't know what to say so his dad just did the talking. He told lock that they had a dog, her name was candy because barrel had only been 4 when they got her and was on a sugar high. Lock smiled. He wanted a normal family. He wanted to know what a fathers love really felt like. He wanted to be loved more than anything.   
Barrel led him to a decently sized room with a bunk bed. "I usually sleep on the top one but if you want it you can have it," he offered. Lock shook his head. He'd never had a proper bed before, all of the blankets and pillows he'd ever owned had been moldy and had enough holes to look knitted when the fabric wasn't. The blankets and pillows on his new bed were all whole. The whole room smelt sickly sweet but for some reason it didn't bother him.   
Barrel grabbed locks hand again and pulled him onto the bed. Lock went rigid immediately, was barrel really going to? The fore mentioned boy stopped when he realized what was happening. "Oh god, I'm so sorry lock I didn't realize!" Barrel pulled away. Lock blinked hard a few times and reached for barrels hand again. He wanted to tell barrel that it was fine, that it didn't matter and that he'd get over it. But his throat let no words pass.   
Barrel was careful with him after that, second guessing all of his actions and making sure that he was soft spoken. He asked lock to write down a list of foods that he liked, lock didn't write anything specific. 'It doesn't matter. I'll eat whatever' his pen scratched the paper. Barrel nodded and grabbed locks hand again. He'd given the skinny boy his smallest cloths, but even then they still hung off of him like extra skin. He was wearing a pair of old socks with threadbare bottoms, a long sleeve that barrel had long since outgrown but kept for a personal reason, a pair of very much too loose boxers that barrels mom had to sew just so they wouldn't slide off of his hips, and a children's sized pair of girls pajama pants. Barrel would have laughed at how odd lock looked if he didn't look so god damn sad.   
Dinner was mostly filled with barrels parents talking about various things. Lock drowned most of it out, trying his best to focus on the food on his plate. He'd hardly finished an eighth of it when his stomach began to ache. Lock fought off the urge to rush to the bathroom and vomit, opting to force himself to eat still more of the food. It was delicious, he had to admit, it was just so not what his body was use to. He survived off of stale ramen and shitty sandwiches for nearly all of his life.   
When it was finally too much and his body started to reject the food, lock cupped a hand to his mouth. He stared down, trying to will himself not to blow chunks in front of his temporary new family. Barrel could tell what was happening before lock started to slow his eating. He'd forgotten to tell his mom to take it down on the portion sizes, and now lock was going to puke his guts out because of it. His parents seemed to notice. They stopped their conversation about boring adult stuff immediately.   
"Lock, are you okay?" The sugary voice that he heard had to have come from barrels mom. He gently shook his head. Bile was steadily rising in his throat and he couldn't fight this for much longer. "Do you need the bathroom?" Louis asked. Lock nodded and then wished he hadn't. His stomach did a flip and soon barrel was practically running him to the bathroom.   
All of his stomachs contents spilled into the toilet. He dry heaved when nothing else came up, tears streaking down his cheeks. He hated puking. He hated things in his throat, hated having to hunch over a toilet seat and hurl until he passed out.   
Barrel placed a comforting hand on locks back. He used his other hand to sweep the cherry red hair from locks eyes again. He smiled when he saw that lock had two very extreme cowlicks right above his temple. They stuck out like little horns, barrel smiled. He was brought back to reality when lock hurled again. He was sobbing by this time. His cheeks were blotchy and shiny with tears.   
Once they'd managed to get some kind of medicine in his system and some off brand crackers into his stomach, lock looked better. Barrel still kept close, refusing to let lock be alone unless he had to go to the bathroom.   
Lock smiled weakly when barrel tucked him into the fuzzy blankets. Today has been a long day, he wanted nothing more than to sleep and wake up as if everything that'd been happening to his was a bad dream.


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five

Later that night lock woke up shaking. He'd dreamed of his dad, that he was still at his old mine and that the camera was back. But this time barrel was there to, and he had joined in with his dad. Lock slipped from the soft, warm blankets and stepped to the floor. He'd forgotten about the socks, they did hardly anything to block out the cold anyway.   
He was about to step up onto the ladder leading to barrels bunk but stopped, he didn't know if he was allowed to do this. He didn't know if he was allowed to sleep in barrels bed and seek comfort in him. Biting his cheek, lock climbed up. Barrel was sprawled on his back, one arm across his stomach and the other tucked under his pillow. The blankets were half off and his pajama pants had slipped down enough so that his boxers showed. Lock smiled at the design, little multicolored candies were printed on in a random pattern.   
He carefully moved so that he could curl up against barrels side without waking him. Lock had to freeze a few times to avoid rising the sleeping boy but he made it soon enough. Barrel was warm, lock them understood why the blanket was half off, barrel radiated to much heat that lock would have pulled away had he not been permanently freezing cold.   
Barrel woke before lock did, he tried to move to his side but something was stopping him. Turning his head either way, barrel smiled at the sight. Lock was snuggled up to him, his hair messy and his little fingers grabbing onto barrels shirt.   
As much as it hurt his heart to do so, barrel detached himself from the still sleeping boy, he just really had to pee and his mouth tasted horrible. He was fast and quiet when he maneuvered off the bed. His feet padded lightly against the floor, grateful that they had carpet and not hardwood.   
Lock woke to an empty bed. He tried to look around and see where barrel went but he just want there anymore. Now he was starting to panic. Had he upset barrel by sleeping in his bed? Was barrel telling his dad how disgusting he was at that very moment? Lock tried to will the thoughts from his head but they wouldn't leave.  
He climbed down the ladder, now intent on finding where barrel went. He first checked the hall, poking his head out from the doorframe. No one was there. He walked oto the dining room but not even barrels parents were there. Now fearing that everyone had left him, he wandered back down the hall to the room that he was supposed to be sharing with barrel. Silent tears were pricking in his eyes, he just wanted to be loved. Was that to much to ask for?  
He bumped into something hard and almost screamed. Looking up quickly, he saw that he'd run into barrel. "Did you forget where the bathroom was?" He asked. Lock shook his head, ducking in down so that barrel wouldn't see that he'd been crying. "Well you've still gotta brush your teeth, that's a house rule." Barrel laughed. He offered a hand and lock gladly took it.


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six

The rest of the day went better. Lock found out that it was a Friday, and barrel was on his summer break. "Mom and dad are at work, mom usually gets back at 5 and dad comes in around 7." Lock nodded. He felt odd calling barrels parents anything other than barrels parents. Surly they wouldn't want to have him as a son?  
They watched television for awhile. Lock let barrel pick all of the shows because really, he didn't know anything other than black and white horror movies. "Oh, I forget to tell you but my cousin is supposed to come and stay with us for awhile. She's coming next week," barrel said after an episode of some strange kids show. Lock nodded. He'd taken his pen and pad with him. 'What's her name?' He wrote. "Her name is Suzy but she hates anyone who callers her that so we all just call her shock." Lock nodded. 'Is she nice?' He really didn't want to meet another person for a long time. It was hard trying to get use to a full house of love. "She's decent. Kinda like a cat really. If you don't bother her and let her come up to you first then she's pretty cool. But if you go up to her first, she'll just hate you until she's ready to know you." Barrel explained. He seemed so calm about the whole situation. Lock was happy to let barrel do the talking.   
Barrels mom came home, said hi to the boys and then went to shower. Lock wondered how she did it. How she didn't yell at him or call him names. The only memories he had if a mother were from when he was 5. She always hit him. His dad would laugh and neither of them would comfort him afterwords. Lock could remember his parents fighting and he heard a loud bang. When he went out to see what was wrong, his mom was laying in a pool of her own blood and his dad was holding a gun. Lock went back to his room and cried for the rest of the night. His dad told him that she went off on her own with another family and that she didn't want lock anymore. He just cried more.   
Barrel for up from the couch and in doing so dragged lock back to reality. "Do you want anything to eat?" He asked. Lock shook his head. Barrel frowned. "You haven't eaten all day, you need something," he tried. Lock just shook his head again. He didn't want to puke anymore.   
Barrel came back with a bag of popcorn and two water bottles in his hands. "I made the choice for you. Popcorn shouldn't do anything to bad, and it's low on pretty much everything so it shouldn't make you get sick." He handed lock a bottle and slid back under the blanket, putting the bag between them, almost crushing it with the closeness.   
Lock decided to try it after another episode and a rather painful lurch from his stomach. It was salty, but he supposed that's why he had such a big bottle of water. It did taste good, and he trusted barrel enough to not lie about it hurting him at all. He only took one piece at a time, not wanting to take it all from barrel. "You can take as much as you want you know, we still have a lot in the cabinet," barrel said after he'd seen how little lock was taking. Lock jumped at the suddenness of barrels voice. He looked slightly guilty as he took a handful. Realizing that barrel wasn't going to yell at him for eating, he took another.   
Soon their hands scraped the bottom of the bag and their water bottles were nearly empty. Lock wasn't quite use to having his stomach full of something that wasn't stale or rotten, or even getting the recommended amount of water in his system. He scribbled down a small, 'where's the bathroom?' And passed the paper over to barrel. He looked confused. "Are you sick?" Lock shook his head, he really didn't want to have to write it down. "Wait you have to pee, don't you?" Barrel said with an edge of laughter. Lock nodded, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Just follow me, we have two bathrooms here, the on difference is that the first one has a shower." Lock nodded and let barrel drag him by the hand.   
Barrels mom had her hair wrapped in a towel, as much as he tried to figure it out he just couldn't. She seemed to notice him staring while she was typing away on her computer. Barrel was busy trying to get candy inside the house. "Confused about how it stays?" She asked with humor in her voice. Lock jumped and looked away. He didn't think she would've noticed that he was staring. "It's okay, sweety, barrel doesn't understand it either." She said with a sad smile. Lock watcher her take the towel down, her hair was a dark brown and looked like it would've been wavy if it was dried. "This is what I do," she explained. She leaned so that her head was tilted down and all of her hair was dangling in front of her. She then wrapped her head in the fabric and lifted her head up, twirling the towel so that it would stay. Lock watched in wonder. He was suddenly grateful for his short and choppy hair.   
Barrel came back a few minutes later with an excited dog jumping up and down, trying to lick his face. "Was she giving you trouble?" His mom asked with a laugh. Barrel did his best to nod, not opening his mouth so he wouldn't swap spit with his pet. Lock almost ran from the room. With a name like candy, he expected a small dog with fluffy, shaggy fur. Candy was not at all in his idea of a dog with her name. She was almost as tall as him, granted he was quite small for an 11 year old. She was speckled with black, white, and grey. Her fur was short and sleek, she looked nothing like a 'candy.'   
Barrel had to drag her over to lock. Candy seemed to understand lock immediately, she calmed down in an instant. She paced slowly up to him, ears relaxed and nose twitching. She gently poked him with her snout and lock reached a testing hand out to pet her. She tilted her head up and nudged him further along. Soon candy was sitting on the couch with the boys, laying across the both of them. She wasn't a acting crazy anymore, something about lock had to have tamed her down.


	7. Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven

It had been nearly five days of living with barrel before he managed to get the family's schedule down. Barrel woke up at 9 or 10 in the morning, he'd wake lock up an hour later and they would watch the tv for awhile. Barrels mom always came home at 5:15 and his dad came home at 7:20 or 7:30 if he stopped to pick something up. They'd eat dinner as soon as his dad came home, it was lights out for the boys at 9 and they were expected to be asleep by no later than 12. Breakfast was a free for all, there was usually nothing home made or out and ready. Lunch was either pizza ordered by barrels parents or set out of the counter for the boys. Dinner was always something home made.   
Lock started to relax as the time passed. He felt like he could get use to this. Forgetting that barrels cousin would be coming that day, he just wore his only pajama pants and a pair of socks. Barrels parents promised to take him out shopping for cloths the next day and he was grateful that they even considered that.   
He was smiling and throwing a ball around for candy to play with while barrel was trying to draw her. "Why can't she just stay still? I'm trying to make her pretty!" Barrel groaned with a sign. Lock smiled and gave a half raspy laugh. His throat was healing, he still didn't have a clue as to why it hurt like it did.   
A loud knock on the door made lock jump and candy start barking. The person outside didn't wait for an answer but just burst in. "Barrel! I'm here!" She yelled lock stood frozen on his feet. The girl who just walked in looked about a year older than barrel, she had wispy black hair and an aura of power. Barrel ran to welcome her in, he assumed that lock would do the same. When barrel saw that lock was standing there, still shirtless and in a pair of shocks old pajama pants, he jerked his head to the hall, hoping that lock would take the hint and that shock wouldn't notice. He was lucky in the sense that shock was to focused on candy and that lock was a fast runner.   
Lock stayed in the room just hiding. He didn't know if shock was okay to approach and he was taking barrel literally. He'd avoid her until she came up to him.   
Barrel came in later to tell lock that he was okay to come out, and that shock wouldn't hurt him. He grabbed locks hand and slowly walked back down the hall with him. "Hey, shock, this is lock. He's been living here for about a week and he's actually staying permanently." Barrel introduced when they'd stepped out of the hall enough to see her sitting on the couch letting candy jump all over her. "Is he cool?" She asked, eyeing lock up and down. "Yeah, he's pretty cool, but he can't talk yet cause his throat is messed up but he should be able to soon." Lock was shifting glances barrel, he hated being stared at.   
Shock wound up pulling him to sit next to her. Lock tensed up and refused to look at her. "You're cute, ya know," she said after awhile of locks behavior. Lock moved away from her in the slightest. He really didn't want her to do this here and now. "Shock leave him alone. He's been through some bad stuff," barrel yelled from the kitchen. "But he's so cute, barrel! I just wanna squish him!" With that she threw her arms around locks neck and yanked him down to the floor. Pure terror flooded into locks blood. He made himself completely limp. If she was going to hurt him then she could do it with out a problem. "Why aren't you fighting back? Come on I called you cute! You're supposed to wrestle with me and kiss my cheek! All boys do!" Lock didn't move from his position on the floor. Barrel ran out of the kitchen at her words.   
He'd picked lock off of the ground and placed him into the couch without saying a word. "Shock you don't do that to him." He said after a moment. She looked confused, "say he's cute?" "Well that and pull him to the ground and stuff, he won't play like we do." She looked angry at his words. "What? Does he think he's better than us?!" She screamed. Barrel moved to cover lock from her. "Shock he's been through some bad stuff." Barrels voice was bordered on sorrow but he managed to keep an unusual edge of seriousness. "Lock I'm going to tell her." He said and smoothed locks hair out from his eyes again. "Shock come with me." And with that they both walked down the hall, leaving lock laying on the couch.   
He could hear them from across the house. "When he was 7, his dad started raping him, shock. You can't just pull him to the ground and have him laugh and join in. He was abused, to, by his mom and dad but his mom died before his dad started doing all of that." He had to give him some props, he'd pretty much nailed it. "So why can't I call him cute still?" She seemed mildly offended. "That's what his dad would say. He use to call him cute and pretty before he raped him, I know it's hard to understand but it's harder for him to live through," barrels voice had a firm sadness to it. "So I can't touch him or compliment him?" She seemed annoyed with it all. "Just be easy with him for awhile. He's scared. He's been here a week and he's hardly gotten use to anything. Be nice to him. I know you want to hate him for all of this but he's too hard to hate this time. Give him a chance to get use to you is all."  
Shock came down the hall looking annoyed. "I'm sorry I scared you." Her words seems to drip with venom. She glared at him until she noticed that candy was sitting calmly on the couch with him. Her ears perked up and her nose twitching. For a dog like her, her personality was much too sweet. But breeds like Great Danes could look so scary. Candy was the hardest dog to anger that shock had ever seen. Right now she could guess, candy was about to be angry.   
Barrel came out to tell the two that his mom would be back at 3 instead of her usually time. Lock praised whatever God was up there.


	8. Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight

It was lights out and lock was cuddling with barrel again. He couldn't sleep on his own no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't sleep in his own bed if he wanted to, shock was snoring away under his covers.   
Barrel remained a constant heater throughout the night. His body was pressed against locks and for once in his life it didn't feel weird to have someone touching him. It felt right to have so much contact. To have barrels arm looped around his waist and to have their bodies to match up like puzzle pieces. It felt good to be loved. Lock was slowly finding all of this out, and the more he discovered, the more he craved affection.   
Barrel came to wake him with a plate full of toast, jelly, jam, and butter. He hopped on the bed and gently shook lock awake as always, using the same quiet and reassuring tone that one might use when talking to a scared puppy. Lock always had an odd way of waking up. He'd roll over, face down and take the covers off. Barrel would always prod him in the side until he rolled over again and reached for something that wasn't there. He'd open his eyes, see that it was barrel, then get up with a smile to brush his teeth. Barrel never took notice to it until lock asked him if he still did that. Barrel had told him yes, not knowing what it meant. Lock his his face in his hands and refused to leave the room for the day.   
The next day barrel found out that his dad had pretty much trained him to do that. He took the covers off and rolled over so his dad could have his way, and if he didn't want it that way he'd make lock give him a hand job. Barrel didn't prod his side in the mornings anymore. He just grabbed and held locks and while waking him.   
Things got easier as time went on. Barrel found out that locks favorite color was red. He made sure that lock was in the shower before he asked his mom to make him a red onsie. She smiled and told him they'd go to the store the next day. Barrel bounded back to his room with a happy grin plastered onto his cheeks. He noticed that he'd been smiling more often now. Maybe he and lock were changing each other for the better, maybe this really could be a good way for them to both grow up.   
Lock always had a habit of covering as much of himself as he could with his towel. It didn't matter if no one was in the room, he just hated being to exposed. Barrel could catch snippets of bones and pale skin stretched to no end. Shock had to have seen it to, she just kept the same silence that barrel did and pushed more food onto his plate.  
Every day meal time was a struggle for lock. He wasn't use to getting three meals a day, and now having stayed two full weeks, he couldn't understand why his body hated him. He loved the way barrels mom made food. She did it with such ease that lock was almost tempted to ask her how she did it. She would always ask him what he wanted for dinner, she would even make just enough food for him if he didn't like what she was making for everyone but that was a rarity. Lock would eat whatever she put on his plate even if he hated it.   
Barrels mom seemed to notice his bones more than anyone. She pulled him into the kitchen one day. "Would it be okay if I looked at your chest? I won't hurt you, I just want to see if you're getting better." Lock nodded and slipped his shirt off. He couldn't stop the shiver at the sudden rush of cold air against his already chilly body. His ribs jutted out a lot. He always counted them, some times he got it wrong, but he wasn't the best counter due to the fact that he had missed every bit of schooling. He just managed to pick up small things from the people he was around. Lock also poked at his collar bones every morning. He didn't like how they made him look like a girl, but he just had to deal with it until he could gain enough weight to cover them.   
Barrels moms fingers were warm. She traced over his ribs and collar bones with a frown. His hip bones poked out from just above his boxers, they were almost always rubbed raw. "Look like we gotta take you to a doctor, my food just isn't doing it." She seemed to be talking more to herself than to lock. With a final sigh, she wrapped her arms around him. Lock froze. Never, had he experienced this before. It wasn't bad, but he felt a rush of emotions over take him and he let himself cry. She rubbed circles into his back and whispered soothing words into his ear. He'd never felt a mothers love before. He didn't know how to feel about any of it.   
Once he'd calmed down enough, he put his shirt back on and barrels mom asked him what was wrong. "I, I just haven't been hugged before." He said, eyes downcast to the floor. "I felt like it was okay to cry," his voice was still raspy and he was thankful that you at least couldn't hear that he was crying.


End file.
